The Mysteries of the Main Root

"I didn't find it. Why are you asking?" Qin Heng asked.

Liang Yunkai rubbed his nose and said quietly, "I heard that Blood-Sucking Vines have extremely high energy value. The Red Root Hairs beneath their main roots are as effective as Low-Grade Divine Pills, and they don't deplete one's potential like Divine Pills do. If we get the chance, we could try killing it, divide up the root hairs, and increase our strength."

"There's such a thing?" Qin Heng said in surprise. The educational programs had never mentioned it.

Even Huang Jiancheng, a well-informed MS Group member, looked surprised. "How did you know about this, Liang Yunkai? Is the information reliable?"

Liang Yunkai said, "Senior Sister Chen Yu told me. She's a Martial Master-level student in our Elite Class. It's absolutely reliable."

A Martial Master expert—Chen Yu, a member of Heavenly Dao Martial Hall's Elite Class!

There should be no falsehood in the words of someone like her!

Everyone could not help feeling tempted.

Effects nearly comparable to Divine Pills, yet without harming one's bodily potential—this was absolutely a treasure. No martial warrior could dislike it!

"Can you be more specific? What exactly did Senior Sister Chen say?" Zhao Dongxing pressed.

Qin Heng had never heard Chen Yu's name, but to people from Heavenly Dao Martial Hall like Zhao Dongxing, it was as thunderous as a clap beside their ears.

This senior sister had entered Heavenly Dao Martial Hall six years ago. Now twenty-four, she was the youngest Martial Master in the hall, stronger than many instructors of the Quasi-Martial Warrior Class.

Moreover, her master was the Vice Hall Master of Heavenly Dao Martial Hall, a Grandmaster as formidable as Wang Jianming. The information she encountered and the secrets of cultivation she understood far exceeded those of ordinary people.

Liang Yunkai said, "Senior Sister Chen didn't say much. The gist was that Blood-Sucking Vines bully the weak and fear the strong. When they encounter powerful people, they disguise themselves as ordinary plants; when they encounter the weak, they attack like mad. The older the main root, the greater its value. A plant less than ten years old can save someone three months of cultivation. One between ten and thirty years old can equal half a year of cultivation. As for one over thirty years old, it is no longer called a Blood-Sucking Vine. It evolves into a Devil Vine, something even Martial Masters fear, and it is extremely rare across the entire Earth."

"Even the worst one equals three months of cultivation!"

Zhao Dongxing and the others' eyes shone as their desire was stirred.

Qin Heng was also somewhat expectant.

This was a treasure comparable to a Low-Grade Divine Pill, yet it would not damage one's potential. He could eat one whenever he found one, without any side effects!

His cultivation efficiency was already far greater than others'. If he could obtain such a treasure and boost his strength again, what level would he reach by the time he reported to Heavenly Dao Martial Hall?

By then, the Divine Pill Rumor Wang Peng had caused would naturally collapse without being attacked. He would not need to wait for the Martial Arts Tournament three months later—he could enter the Elite Class directly!

"Then let's go look for it together. Once we get the Blood-Sucking Vine's main root, we'll split it evenly," Qin Heng said.

"Blood-Sucking Vines are dangerous. Are you sure?" Huang Jiancheng frowned, somewhat worried.

Liang Yunkai asked, "Qin Heng, did you fight the Blood-Sucking Vine just now? How thick were its ordinary root hairs? How many vines did it have?"

Qin Heng replied, "About as thick as a thumb. I'm not sure about the number, but there were probably no fewer than four hundred."

Liang Yunkai nodded slightly. "Then it should be a small Blood-Sucking Vine less than ten years old. The threat isn't too high yet. There are seven of us. Once Brother Huang and Dongxing recover a bit, we'll act. The seven of us working together will be enough to deal with all those vines."

Blood-Sucking Vines were terrifying, but as long as they knew its location, took precautions in advance, advanced slowly, and cut the vines one by one, its threat would be reduced to the minimum.

All Demon Plants were assassins. Ambushes were their greatest advantage.

Once they lost that advantage, they were merely a cluster of slightly tougher green plants.

At that thought, the fear in everyone's hearts faded considerably.

"All right. We'll rest and recover first, then act early tomorrow morning." Qin Heng agreed with Liang Yunkai's plan.

They had just gone through a fierce battle, and everyone needed to recover.

The sun was already slanting west, with dusk close at hand. Finding a secluded, safe place to spend the night was the most urgent matter.

"By the way, what about those people?"

At that moment, Jin Wenxin pointed at the people from War God Martial Hall not far away.

They had not spoken loudly, so the War God Martial Hall students in the distance had not heard what they were saying.

Those people only knew that there was a Blood-Sucking Vine nearby, and that it had killed Wang Peng and Qian Feilong. They were frightened and wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

After thinking it over, Qin Heng realized these people still seemed useful. He said, "I'll go talk to them."

Then he walked alone toward the War God Martial Hall group.

"Hey, what are you coming over here for!"

At the sight of Qin Heng, the five War God Martial Hall students all tensed up.

They had seen Qin Heng's fighting strength with their own eyes. He had not fallen behind when fighting Qian Feilong one-on-one; he was definitely not someone the few of them could handle.

What was more, there were six others behind him. If they all attacked together, they could beat them until they were scrambling for teeth across the floor.

Qin Heng sheathed his battle saber. "Don't panic. I'm not here to fight."

"Then you're here to..."

The five War God Martial Hall students relaxed slightly, but remained wary.

Qin Heng said, "Do you want me to take you to see Wang Peng and Qian Feilong's bodies?"

The five exchanged looks and spoke quietly among themselves.

"That's Blood-Sucking Vine territory..."

"Forget it, forget it. We'd better not go."

"They're already dead. What's there to see... Could this guy be trying to shove us in there too, to feed the Blood-Sucking Vine?"

Then they decisively refused. "No need!"

Qin Heng chuckled. "Fine, forget it if you won't go. What I actually meant was that I wanted you to testify for me: Wang Peng and Qian Feilong weren't killed by me. They charged into the Blood-Sucking Vine's nest themselves and were sucked dry into mummies by the Demon Plant. They were simply unlucky. Even if Wang Jianming wants to investigate, it has nothing to do with me."

Everyone: ...

They had considered countless possibilities, but never imagined this was what Qin Heng wanted to say.

"After we return, we will truthfully report this to the Vice Hall Master," one War God Martial Hall student said.

Qin Heng was the strongest person here now. No one wanted to offend him.

Besides, this was the truth to begin with.

Qin Heng alone could not have defeated Qian Feilong and Wang Peng working together. Even if he had won by some fluke, he should have been injured.

Yet he had returned unharmed, while those two had vanished without a trace. They could only have been killed by a Monster or a Demon Plant.

"All right, then get going. For the next few days, may you seek your own fortune and avoid disaster." Qin Heng waved his hand and let them leave without making things difficult.

These people were important witnesses.

With their testimony, Wang Peng's death could not be pinned on Qin Heng. Even if Wang Jianming dug to the roots and asked to the bottom, Qin Heng was not the culprit—he was merely somewhat implicated.

If he killed them, it would instead cause trouble. People would suspect him of killing witnesses to destroy the evidence. Then, facing an enraged Grandmaster, he would be unable to defend himself even with a hundred mouths.

Speaking of which, Wang Peng really had been unlucky. Originally, no matter how the private grudge between him and Qin Heng had turned out, Qin Heng would have had a terrible headache.

If he did not kill him, Qin Heng would feel dissatisfied, always carrying a knot in his heart, sickened by it.

If he killed him... Wang Jianming was a Grandmaster. He truly could not be provoked.

Things turning out this way was the best possible result for Qin Heng.

"Thank you. Farewell."

The five people from War God Martial Hall slung on their backpacks and quickly left, afraid Qin Heng would change his mind and kill them.

Qin Heng watched their backs vanish beyond the edge of town, feeling a burst of delight.

Then he noticed that where those people had just been standing, there were still two backpacks on the ground...

They belonged to Qian Feilong and Wang Peng.